Toyota, Nissan recall mats, fuel tubes

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Toyota Motor Corp. says it will recall floor mats in 55,000 of its 2007 Lexus ES 350 and 2007 Camry models that, if not secured in place, could slip and get trapped under or over the accelerator. This could cause a car to accelerate even after the driver lifted his or her foot off the gas pedal.

Separately, Nissan Motor Co. (Charts) announced a recall of nearly 420,000 Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX4 SUVs from 1997 and 2001 due to possible corrosion in a tube used to pump gas.

Toyota (Charts) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a consumer advisory Wednesday urging all owners of the affected models to make sure all driver's side all-weather floor mats are secured before driving.

While not affected by the recall, NHTSA also urges drivers of other Toyota models, including Avalons and Prius hybrids to make sure floor mats are installed correctly.

NHTSA adds that, depending on vehicle design, it is possible for unsecured floor mats to interfere with accelerator or brake pedals in a wide range of vehicles, and reminds drivers of all makes and models to check that their floor mats are secured according to manufacturer instructions for installing the mats.

For more information on this recall, consumers can contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or their Toyota or Lexus dealer.

More than 370,000 of the Nissan SUVs under that company's recall were originally sold or are currently registered in 22 "cold weather" states including Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as the District of Columbia. Another 45,000 recalled vehicles are in Canada.

In states that use road salt during the winter, a mixture of snow, water and salt could cause corrosion on the bare metal part of a fuel filler tube and allow fuel to leak.

Nissan spokesman Fred Standish said there were no reports of fires or injuries. Owners will be notified of the recall beginning in late November and Nissan dealers will replace the fuel filler tube assembly with a new one with an improved coating process.

--staff and wire reports